Indian Coast Guard celebrates 45th 'Raising Day'

Gandhinagar: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) virtually celebrated its 45th 'Raising Day' on Monday.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the ICG on their completion of 44 glorious years of yeoman service to the nation and appreciated the role played by the service in pursuit of the nation's interests in the maritime zones.

The ICG also expressed its commitment towards safeguarding the country's coastline on its founding day.

Despite the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian Coast Guard has maintained 24x7 vigil in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), by deploying nearly 50 ships and 12 aircrafts daily.

The deterrence at sea and coordinated air surveillance by the service enabled seizure of contraband worth nearly 1,500 crore and apprehension of more than 10 foreign fishing boats with 80 miscreants illegally operating in the Indian EEZ alone in 2020.

The 'Preventive and Measured Response' stance of operations introduced more than a year ago ensured that more than 6,000 fishing boats with nearly 40,000 fishermen were escorted to safe harbours during the passage of 11 cyclones in 2020, thus averting loss of lives and property at sea.

From a modest beginning with just seven surface platforms in 1978, the ICG has grown into a formidable force with 156 ships and 62 aircrafts in its inventory and is likely to achieve targeted force levels of 200 surface platforms and 80 aircrafts by 2025.

ICG is the fourth largest coast guard in the world and has played a significant role in securing the country's coasts and enforcing regulations within the maritime zones of India.